Nick's Worst Nightmare
by DebC75
Summary: Nick's worst nightmare is realized


Disclaimer: This came to me a couple of nights after watching   
"The HUman Factor" (Finally!!!! I loved it!) NO, this is not meant as a   
spoiler. I only wrote it to get the crazy thoughts out of my head.   
  
Nick's Worst Nightmare   
by Debbie Stevenson   
aka "Fleurette"   
  
  
  
  
  
Nick eyed the needle in Nat's hand distrustfully, a frown on   
his face. "Do I really have to take this shot again, Nat? I   
makes me sick."   
  
"We have to give it a few days to see if it will work or   
not, Nick." She took a step closer to him and Nick jumped off the   
table, retreating to far corner of the room.   
  
"I don't want to, Nat. Please don't make me." Nick's eyes   
pleaded with her to relent.   
  
"Nick, don't you want a cure? What if this turns out to be   
the only way you can get it, and you don't want to try?" Nat   
replied, hoping to guilt-trip him.   
  
"But it makes me sick. Everytime I fed, I threw up!" Nick   
protested.   
  
That was the point.> Nat thought. To Nick she said, "Would   
you quit acting like a baby? This won't hurt at all." Taking him   
by the arm, she led him back to the table.   
  
Nick pulled free from her. "I'm not taking that shot. It   
does weird things to me, Nat. I don't like it."   
  
"Fine then, as long as you're sure you don't want to try   
this time. You don't have to take the shot." Nick's face lit up   
and he started to roll his sleeve back down. Nat continued. "Of   
course, if you're not really serious about this cure, we could   
call the whole project off completely. It would save us both a   
lot of time and disappointment."   
  
The light vanished from Nick's expression. grumbling   
inwardly, he rolled up his sleeve and hopped back onto the table.   
He winced as the needle penetrated his skin.   
  
"Don't tell me that hurt you?" Nat asked sarcastically.   
  
"No... I was anticipating not being able to hold down   
liquids for the next week." Nick replied, looking paler than   
usual.   
  
**********   
  
  
Nick walked up the door, ready to open it and enter. A   
strange feeling came over him as he stood poised to enter the   
Raven. Dread. Nick changed his mind, he'd go find Nat instead.   
They could always watch a movie or something. As he turned to   
go, however, he heard crying coming from inside the club. A   
woman crying. He recognized the voice as Urs's. Curiosity   
peaked, he returned to the door, pushing it open.   
  
Once inside, Nick found a crowd of fellow vampires gathered   
around Urs. LaCroix held her in his arms as she sobbed. "Why is   
Urs crying?" Nick asked, as all eyes turned to him.   
  
LaCroix looked up at him. "Urs has lost her Master this   
night." He said in somber tones. He went back to comforting the   
crying woman in his arms.   
  
Nick looked confused. Lost her Master...?> "Vachon's   
dead?" He asked, looking from face to face for conformation. If   
so, he should find a way to tell Tracy.   
  
"Actually, Nicholas, Vachon is quite alive... mortally.   
He's gone back across. And now he's leaving the fold forever...   
or at least until he dies." LaCroix remarked, cooling rubbing it   
in that Nick still hadn't found his own way back across. Urs   
turned to stare at him, nodded in support of LaCroix's statement.   
  
Without waiting to hear the rest of what LaCroix had to say,   
Nick bolted from the club. Going in search of Vachon, he checked   
everywhere he knew the Spaniard usually hung out.   
  
No luck anywhere.   
  
Returning to the loft, Nick found the light on his answering   
machine blinking. He pressed the button... Tracy's voice   
bubbled into the room. "Hi, partner. How's your night off? I   
hope you're enjoying your self. Listen... if you get this   
anytime soon, come to St. John's... I'm getting married!"   
  
Married... Tracy?> Nick wondered. "Vachon!!!!" He roared,   
taking to flight in a frenzied dash to the church.   
  
**********   
  
  
(Outside St. John's)   
  
Nick stood there debating whether or not to go inside. He   
was way too angry and didn't want to do anything to upset Tracy.   
Then his dark thoughts began to get the better of him... What   
the Hell is going on here? First Janette finds a cure and now   
that stupid Spaniard!!!> He turned his eyes skyward... a   
tormented, anguished expression on his face. Why not me?> He   
thought angrily. If there was truly a god out there somewhere,   
he must really hate me.>   
  
His anger overwhelming him, Nick burst into the Church, just   
about the time when the Priest was saying "Does anyone here have   
just reason why these two should not be wed?"   
  
Without bothering to state a reason, Nick grabbed Vachon a   
propelled him out of the church. Once outside, he pushed Vachon   
against the wall, holding him by his neck.   
  
"Knight! What..." Vachon choked.   
  
"How'd you do it? How'd you find a cure? You never even   
wanted one!" Nick growled angrily.   
  
"Knight.. I..."   
  
"And now you think you're just going to run off with Tracy   
like everything is normal! You're wrong Vachon, very, very   
wrong!" He bared his fangs, eyes flashing violently.   
  
"Nick... what are you going to do?" Vachon looked scared.   
  
"You can't have what I've been denied. I've searched too   
long for it!" Nick spat.   
  
"Don't, please, don't... Knight, think of Tracy... she loves   
me for God sake! Do--" Vachon's voice was cut off as Nick sunk   
his fangs into his neck.   
  
After a brief drink, Nick raised his head... Vachon was   
still conscious, but dazed... "Live or die, Vachon? Either way,   
you will not have what I cannot."   
  
"Live... for Tracy... " Vachon managed to whisper.   
  
Just then a woman's voice sounded from behind them. "Oh my   
God! Nick! You're a-a-a!" Tracy Vetter fainted with the   
realization that her trusted partner was a vampire.   
  
**********   
  
  
Nick woke with a start... he wasn't with Vachon and Tracy at   
the church. He wasn't attacking anyone, and he wasn't angry.   
But he did feel sick.   
  
Nat came to his side. "Nick? Are you ok?"   
  
"Nat? What are you doing here?" Nick asked, still shaken   
from what appeared to be a horrible dream.   
  
"I found you passed out in your car when I left work. You   
were right about that shot I gave you. I'm sorry, Nick.. can you   
forgive me? You would have been there all day in the sun if I   
hadn't found you."   
  
There was more to it than just the shot. Nick knew that.   
"Nat, of course I forgive you... the question is, can you forgive   
me?"   
  
"For what?" Nat had to wait patiently for an answer as Nick   
vomited... choking and gagging over what was left of his dinner   
from the night before.   
  
When he calmed, he said, "I never told you what happened   
with Janette that night. I think I should."   
  
Nat looked puzzled. "Go ahead."   
  
"Nat, I let you think Janette died in that fire. She   
didn't. I brought her back across." Then he began telling her   
about the dream he'd just had.   
  
"So, what are you saying... this dream was caused by your   
guilt over denying Janette the choice you couldn't have? Nick   
that's..." she had been about to say stupid, but knowing Nick...   
it was probably true.   
  
**********   
  
Nick awoke, cold sweat lining his body. Getting up, he   
walked downstairs to the refrigerator. As he passed than   
answering machine, he saw the light flashing... he pressed the   
button. "Hi,partner. How's your night off? I hope you're--"   
Grabbing the machine, Nick threw it against the wall.   
  
Turning his eyes out to the person sitting there typing this   
story, he screamed, "Why do you like to torture me?"   
  
The answer... quite simply... because Nick, dear, you make   
it *so* easy sometimes that I just can't resist.   
  
  



End file.
